August 26, 2007
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Baron, the Fence and the Dog Food Saga
We had a great rain yesterday but, since we have satellite for the internet, it means we were down the better part of the day. We also have satellite TV so I was going through my DVD’s and watching some favorites while I crocheted.
Baron does not like rain so we had to wait for the rain to ease up and rush him out to do his thing and he ran back to the door as fast as his big paws could take him
We decided to fence the back yard and had several people out to give us estimates. The company we chose was a small one run by a family. Not the greatest salespeople in the world but their pricing was very good and so was their guarantee. They start on it this Wednesday unless it’s raining. No one seems to ever work in the rain we noticed. Not even house builders even if the roof is on and the workers protected. Go figure. I can understand the fence guys because they have to cement the posts in and it’s not real smart to do that while it’s raining. I’m hoping we have a good rain or two before then so the ground is easier for them to dig. The Beast and I have tried it a time or two for some of our plantings and it is why we got the rototiller finally. We know what we are and are not capable of doing. And, lets face it, at our age, why would we WANT to knock ourselves out? Do it the easiest way possible and get it over with is my motto.
I told you our next door neighbor put up a fence while we were in Chicago for the family reunion. We had seen her dad putting up the guidelines for it so it wasn’t a surprise. What did surprise us was the fence is wood at the front and the sides but chainlink at the back. It only makes sense since that way what view you have isn’t cut off. But why she only put up a 4 ft. chainlink fence back there DOES puzzle me. She has a chocolate lab and he will easily clear it when he decides he wants OUT.
The Beast took Baron for a walk out back and over to the chainlink fence thinking to introduce the pup to the bigger pup (he’s almost a year old now but labs take forever to *grow up*). Well, it did NOT go the way the Beast imagined it would. He had visions of *Bozo* (my nickname for him) being so excited about having a playmate and the two dogs just becoming instant buddies. It was not meant to be.
Bozo took one look at Baron and came on a dead run, barking and growling and snarling. If he could have gotten to Baron, I have no doubt he would have killed him, it was THAT bad. Baron saw this huge dog coming towards him and hightailed it away from there and onto the deck with the funniest *yip, yip, yip, yip, yip* all the way back to home base. He was afraid that dog could get at him and he wanted NO part of THAT. I’m proud of the fact that he now realizes the dog can’t get out of the yard and ignores him even when walking near the fence. Bozo has also stopped his useless barking and growling at Baron just because there is no reaction to it. But I will not let Baron outside when our neighbor lets him out on her days off. I am not going looking for trouble.
We watched what I would have to call a hummingbird ballet this morning. We counted six hummingbirds that were doing a literal ballet around the feeder. They took turns and had some kind of order or understanding because you would have sworn they would run into each other at times. But it was orderly and I almost felt like they had some sort of music they were *dancing* to while buzzing around waiting for their turns. They came within inches of the Beast and my faces while this was going on. It was amazing to be a part of it for us and a memory that will stick in my mind for years to come.
A friend of ours sent us some links about dog food. Of course, we didn’t own a pet when all the pet food recalls were going on but we did see some mighty empty shelves there for a while. But the end result of it seems to be a lot of information being spread around that had always been available on the internet but hadn’t been LOOKED for at all until some people decided to make their own pet food and wanted good, safe recipes.
The information is shocking. I was never quite sure what animal byproducts were but I was absolutely horrified when I found out. I also was shocked to find out that euthanized dogs, cats and road kill animals were all being sold to rendering plants all over the country and the rendering plants turn them into the main ingredients in most dog and cat foods on the market today. The dog food companies may not add any bad things to this gruel but OMG..it even includes the plastic from the bags the animals are packed in.
Here are a couple sites to consider and read. http://www.dogtrainingzone.com/dogfood.html
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?
http://www.apt4animals.org/facts?
The end result of my reading (and I read much more than this) is that I spent most of today cooking up chicken livers, chicken gizzards, chicken both on the bone and boneless, rice, carrots, potatoes, straining broth and they are all in separate containers to be mixed up with some of the dry puppy food that several articles told us did NOT contain any of the carcinogenic materials I read about. They were real meat, grain and vegetable food.
I found several recipes for making doggie *treats* and the Beast and I are going to try our hand at some of those just to see how the dog likes them. What is funny is I spent the whole day cooking and nothing I made was for people so I had to stop and think of something to eat for US. It just struck me as funny. I finally made up some ham the Beast had bought for us along with some baked beans, crusty rolls, green beans from my bush bean plants and some rice pudding for dessert. The day didn’t end too bad but I may not be able to look at chicken for a while.
When I fed the pup this evening, he really LOVED what I mixed up for him. He licked the bowl so clean that it looks like I just pulled it out of the dishwasher. Even the Beast was surprised because Baron didn’t wolf it down but acted like he was savoring every bite.
My two boys are sound asleep so I got to get this done without interruptions for once. But I need to get to bed now because I will probably be the one to get up with the dog when he has to pee and take him out. I hate having all this interrupted sleep because it makes me feel as tired as I was when I had a new baby in the house. It’s been a lot of years since THAT happened !!!
Goodnight one and all and have a wonderful day tomorrow. Say a prayer for my Aunt Bernice if you don’t mind. She started radiation therapy after having a cancerous tumor removed from her uterus. She’s 82 years old but a spry, active woman I love dearly.
Love you all.
